Wasps suffered defeat at the Ricoh Arena to Northampton Saints on Sunday - but who put their hand up for selection when the Gallagher Premiership reconvenes later this month?

Director of rugby Dai Young called upon his fringe/squad players to 'put their hands up' for selection during the second and third rounds of Premiership Cup action.

The Black and Golds may have lost the encounter 15-14 at the Ricoh Arena, but there were positives to be salvaged ahead of Sunday's visit of Bristol Bears to the Midlands.

CoventryLive Wasps correspondent Bobby Bridge was at the match and has given his verdict on five players who are pushing for inclusion in future squads when the bread-and-butter of league games return...

Gaby Lovobalavu

Wasps' Gaby Lovobalavu

Dai Young admitted last week that the Fijian suffers from a chronic knee injury that blows hot and cold. Unfortunately for Wasps, he's been hampered by it frequently in 2018.

With primary inside centre option Jimmy Gopperth out of the equation for the majority of the season, Wasps need Lovobalavu fit and challenging Michael Le Bourgeois for the 12 shirt.

On this form, he is staking a case to remain in the starting line-up at Franklin's Gardens when the Gallagher Premiership resumes on November 17.

The 33-year-old tackled himself into the ground and carried with relish, often into brick walls but seldom did he not make at least a few metres for the cause.

It was no coincidence that Ross Neal enjoyed an eye-catching afternoon alongside his centre partner for the day.

Charlie Matthews

The former Harlequins lock played the full 80 minutes and weighed in with some strong contributions.

Charlie Matthews

Most notably, it was his intervention to thwart a late rolling maul that could so easily have been the last attacking act of the match.

The second row was busy in defence making some strong early hits and was another member of the front five that helped put big pressure on the Saints scrum, especially in the first half.

Wasps lacked a little in powerful carries in congested areas and perhaps this is where Matthews could've influenced the game with a few more tackle-busting runs.

But for a first full 80 minutes in Black and Gold, he takes a step closer to pushing Kearnan Myall, Will Rowlands and James Gaskell for a place in the second row while Joe Launchbury is out injured.

Jake Cooper-Woolley

A combination of summer knee surgery and a bicep rupture saw the tighthead miss the first nine games of the season before making his return against Northampton Saints.

While he has been away, 16-times capped England international Kieran Brookes and Academy graduate Will Stuart have been sharing the number three jersey capably.

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As early as the fourth minute at the Ricoh Arena, Cooper-Woolley was making his presence felt with strong carries and shortly after half-time, he was alert to snare loose possession to turn the ball over.

He formed part of the front row that earned penalty after penalty in the first hour and he was missed when he eventually made way for Alex Hunt after 67 minutes.

With three front-line tightheads now at his disposal for the first time this season, the battle will be fascinating moving forward with a quality option being forced to miss match-day 23s if all stay fit.

Billy Searle

Glimpses of the former Bristol fly half's attacking instincts have been witnessed during his early displays while Wasps awaited Lima Sopoaga's arrival from New Zealand.

Billy Searle of Wasps

In the 14th minute against Northampton Saints, he showed just how dangerous he can be as his arching carry and balanced ball-running style paved the way for Marcus Watson's try.

A fifth-minute tackle showed his development on the other side of the ball as Saints pushed plenty of traffic in his direction.

His influence on the game did subside as the match wore on, however, it's hard to push to much of the blame Searle's way when the pack began to lose the stranglehold it had in the earlier passages of play.

Still very much a 'work-in-progress', but there's encouraging signs that given the right platform, Wasps have a star-understudy for Sopaoga and potentially his successor in years to come.

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Our Wasps v Northampton Saints coverage

Ross Neal

The towering centre gained a lot of respect from people inside and outside the club for volunteering to stay at work rather than enjoy a week off ahead of the trip to Gloucester.

Wasps' Ross Neal (Image: Richard Lane Photography)

Having played 27 times for London Scottish last season, kicking his heels is something Neal is not too familiar with but he got his rewards for dedication to the cause at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday.

Neal made a number of key contributions. It was his pass out of the tackle that set up Watson for his try and he helped make a great covering tackle in the second half as well as one eye-catching hit before the break.

In a department where Wasps are in need of players to put their hand up, especially with Elliot Daly otherwise occupied throughout November, Neal is doing just that.